A former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba, has declared that the South-west must support President Bola Tinubu’s administration unequivocally, no matter the price to be paid.
This is just as President Tinubu has stated that he was focused on the future and prosperity of Nigeria and not future elections.
Speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) South-west Zone Assembly meeting held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, Osoba warned that no matter the ill-feelings anyone may have against the person of the president or his administration, he must be supported not only to run out his first term in office but also to secure a second term.
Osoba disclosed that Tinubu is the first president from the progressive fold, adding that he cannot afford to fail.
“We cannot and should not allow anyone to derail our democracy under Tinubu,” he insisted, even as he said that no money was left in the national treasury for subsidy when Tinubu took office,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has stated that he was focused on the future and prosperity of Nigeria.
Tinubu’s declaration came on the heels of sharp criticisms of the leadership of the APC in the South-west by the chieftains of the party.
The president, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said he was also pained by the hardships faced by Nigerians, and promised that things would turn out better.
While pledging to have continuous engagement with the South-west leaders of the party, Tinubu also promised a listening ear, adding that he would continue to do the bidding of the people.
Gbajabiamila said: “Mr. President has asked me to convey his message; he knows he has made very tough decisions. He sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The time will come when we will all thank him for the decisions.
”Mr. President said I should let you know that he is not thinking of the next election but the next generation.
“For every moment in a country, a particular leader is produced for that time. This is the time to produce a courageous leader.”
Tinubu also promised that all the deliberations by the South-west caucus would be given consideration, saying though he is President of Nigeria, the South-west remains his base.
Gbajabiamila added: “The challenges of our country are diverse; it is very immense. You cannot know the extent until you get there. I see that Mr. President has nothing in his mind but the progress of Nigeria.
“For those of us who know him very well, he has love for the masses. As the people are complaining, he is also pained but when a man has a strong conviction of what he is doing, he pursues it.”
Speaking at the event, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the stakeholders gathered as one big family to work together.
“It is to share ideas and agree on strategies to take South-west to greater heights.
“We are blessed with assets and more positioned to move the country forward,” the governor said.
He added that the gathering was to reinvigorate hope in people, saying the strong Omoluabi ethos in the South-west zone should be engendered for the progress of the region and the country.
He appealed to the leaders and other members to give adequate support to the president, saying “We should strive to forge ahead of the 2027 election.”
APC leaders, including former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande and Dr. Tajudeen Olusi, had criticised the new leadership of the party in the South-west, saying it had never conveyed meetings of leaders and faithful to deliberate on what is going on both in government and at party levels.
The keynote Speaker, former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said the South-west wing of the APC constitutes an important pillar of the party, saying that the decision to convene the zonal assembly of party leaders and faithful was a manifestation of a determination of the leadership to keep the party as vigorous and engaged as possible in the South-west.
“As a foundation member, and one of the many actors who worked tirelessly to help create the APC out of a coalition of like-minded parties and actors united by a progressive and forward-looking commitment to national unity and transformation, I was immeasurably proud of the zeal with which our cadres in the South-west embraced the party’s agenda for change and renewal when it was announced to them.
“And we were fortunate to be blessed from the outset with a leadership group who left no stone unturned to ensure that we built the party as a united force that could be trusted by Nigerians and which had to be reckoned with by our competitors.
“We owe these leaders an enormous debt of gratitude, knowing that history will remember them as a group of people who sacrificed enormously to help consolidate democratic governance in the biggest black nation on earth,” he explained.
The event was hosted by the Chairman South-west Governors’ Forum and Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu.
Other state governors who attended the event include Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).
Leaders at the meeting were: former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Akande; former Ogun State governors, Chief Osoba and Ibikunle Amosun, Lagos GAC leader, Tajudeen Olusi, among others.
The event also attracted a large audience of party leaders and stakeholders from the South-west, including senators, members of the House of Representatives, State House of Assembly members, and local government officials, among others.
Segun James
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